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 Will is a member of the Patriots, a group of heavily armed private
citizens who use displays of force to intimidate people attempting
to cross the border illegally. Since early summer the Patriots have
patrolled an area near Brownsville, Texas.
"If you spot them and shine your light on them, that lets them know
that you're there," said the 25-year-old construction worker from
Indiana who flew to Texas for a stint with the Patriots. “Nine times
out of 10, they're not going to come over.
"Even if they are going to try to cross again, we're still making it
harder for them, and that's the reason we're here."
The Patriots Information Hotline, a networking call center,
estimates that 22 groups of “armed patriots” have sprung up along
the border from Texas to California this year.
With names like Patriots and Citizen Defenders, the groups often set
up camp on private land along the border at a property owner’s
invitation. Expenses are generally paid by members, though some
funds come from like-minded donors.
 To critics, they are militias - vigilantes spoiling for a fight. For
would-be migrants, they are another barrier to entry. For the U.S.
Border Patrol, they can be either a nuisance or a help in spotting
people trying to enter the country illegally.
The groups insist that their presence is unrelated to the tens of
thousands of children from Central America who flooded across the
border with Mexico earlier this year. Law enforcement officials say
an increase in people taking part in citizen patrols in border
states coincided with the attention being paid to the issue of
unaccompanied minors this year.
Despite an aversion to the media, the Patriots opened their
Brownsville camp to Reuters this month for an exclusive visit,
saying their efforts are essential because the U.S. government has
failed to secure the border.
Sitting on camp chairs in the center of a cluster of tents, members
asked to be identified only by their handles or first names. An
American flag flew above a yellow banner depicting a rattlesnake,
ready to strike, and the words "DONT (sic) TREAD ON ME."
The men bristled at the terms "militia" and "vigilante."
"Everybody has this bad taste in their mouth about 'militias.' They
think we're out here trying to smoke people and kill them as soon as
they cross the border. Which obviously, is not the case," said
"Huggie Bear," a 25-year-old former U.S. Army infantry team leader.
"Our goal here is to try to deter them from coming. They see us,
they don't know who we are, so that kind of scares people away for a
while."
BODY ARMOR AND HANDCUFFS
The Patriots operate on 21 acres of land owned by Rusty Monsees,
whose family has had a ranch on the border since the 1940s. They
patrol in body armor, riding all-terrain vehicles that drown out the
sound of cicadas at night.
Monsees, 66, said "illegals" have poisoned his dogs and sprayed his
yellow house with bullets, but he refuses to leave.
"If they leave, I'm dead," he said.
The Patriots carry plastic handcuffs to detain border crossers and
communications equipment to inform Border Patrol.
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The only live fire they have seen has come from a Border Patrol
agent who fired at them. Border Patrol said the agent saw an armed
man and thought he was part of a group of migrants suspected of
illegally crossing the Rio Grande. Several shots were fired at the
Patriot, who immediately dropped his weapon and was not injured.
Some say it is just a matter of time before one of these groups
sparks a deadly firefight along the border.
Eddie Guerra, sheriff of the Texas border county of Hidalgo, is
concerned.
"When there are situations with any individual who is bearing arms
in public or on private property, there is always a concern amongst
law enforcement of possible misidentification that can lead to
friendly-fire tragedies," he said.
Border Patrol has warned the groups that taking matters into their
own hands could have "disastrous personal and public safety
consequences."
Over the weekend, President Barack Obama said he would delay an
executive action on immigration reform until after November’s
congressional elections, bowing to concerns that it could cost his
fellow Democrats control of the U.S. Senate.
Many in Brownsville live in the shadow of an 18-foot-high
rust-colored steel barrier that stretches hundreds of miles along
the border. A few, including Fernando Rivera Jr., have called on
groups like the Patriots to keep an eye on their properties.
"Whoever says there's not a problem by the border wall, they don't
live out here," he said, adding that his son walks around the
backyard with a shotgun slung over his back to protect the family
from what he says are criminals coming across the border.
In addition to the Monsees property, the Patriots monitor homes in
the area at the request of owners like Rivera, who said it can take
up to 45 minutes for a county sheriff to arrive after a call for
help.
"Now, when they're on patrol, it's actually peaceful," he said. "The
dogs don't bark as much. I can actually get some sleep."
(Additional reporting by Jim Forsyth in San Antonio, Texas; Writing
by Jon Herskovitz; Editing by Douglas Royalty)
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